How Do I Do My Taxes? TurboTax, myAT&T, and 5 iPhone Apps to Help Millennials Manage Their Money

Growing up as millennials, our parents have encouraged us to focus more on our studies and career paths than worry about the details. They’ve handled that part. Until now.

We’ve reached the age when, once our W-2 forms come in the mail, they don’t magically disappear and replace themselves with tax-returned money in our bank accounts. Furthermore, bills keep stacking, and if you don’t remember to take care of them in the first place, mommy and daddy are no longer co-signers to forward the email alerts.

Adulthood isn’t easy. But, with the help of these apps, perhaps we’ll soften the blow of being kicked out of the bird’s nest and onto the streets of the real world …. at least without several overdraft fees, a locked credit card and apartment lights being turned off.

1. TurboTax (iPhone and Android). What the hell is tax season? Anyone? Yes, it’s when our accountant friends go into hiding and crunch numbers in their sleep. But what does that have to do with us? Apparently everything. TurboTax created this ingenius suite of apps that basically take all of the hard work out of filing your taxes; while still painstakenly tedious, it no longer has to be so damn confusing. It’s as easy as snapping a photo of your W-2 (SnapTax) and enjoying the subsequent info transfer – which happens automatically – in addition to tax refund estimations (TaxCaster).

3. Chase (iPhone and Android). How can one expect to be responsible, efficient and on top of one’s game without the use of a bank mobile app? It’s simply unheard of. Out to dinner and the server won’t split your checks? No biggie. After deciding which poor soul has to forgo his credit card , transfer what you owe him on-the-spot. Mobile banking, quickie photo deposits, paperless statements, and the like will make your life that much easier. No more overdraft fees for you! Well, if used correctly, that is. Not to worry; Chase isn’t the only bank to offer this….Try the PNC app, too.

4.IRS2GO (iPhone and Android) Don’t fear the IRS! Well, not in this capacity. This app lets you keep track of the status of your refund, and sign up to get some helping filing-related tips, related to legislative updates, relevant tools to help you navigate the world of taxes, etc.

5. ShoeBoxed (iPhone and Android). While this is perhaps more intended for the avid business traveler, it’s nevertheless a good app to keep in your back pocket (heh, pun intended). With this, you can snap photos of your receipts, which the app will store, entering importatnt details such as date, time, payment type, store, etc.; you can also create and send expense reports and send the data to Quicken, CSV, and more. Indeed, a nice shortcut around the grueling finance reporting measures we often have to take.

And while this one’s not quite there yet, try the Consumer’s Energy mobile website. They haven’t developed an app at this point in time, but its mobile website will – for the time being – get the necessary job done while on-the-go. Let’s cross our fingers they join the 21st century sometime in the near future. If the President and IRS can join in on the social train, so can energy companies.